At times I feel like I'm being rational and accepting and at others I find myself being wholly and completely judgmental. The more I read the more I learn about different subgroups of FA. For instance, Donna Simpson would most likely be classified in niche that calls themselves "gainers", people who actively try to gain weight for personal and sexual gratification. Guardian did an article about gainers, many of whom don't feel attractive unless they are gaining weight. To compliment gainers, there are also Fat Admirers (formally known as Chubby Chasers and also FA...they need new acronyms) as part of the Fat Acceptance movement who are just simply find heavy women sexy. One blogger on Shapely Prose explains his label as a Fat Admirer simply equates to an attraction to fat women as a personal preference and NOT a fetish:
There are men who fetishize fat, sure, but that’s different from being an FA. Being an FA just means that you see a fat person and you think they are sexy. Some people think it is limiting to be an FA. Really? There is a range of probably 300lbs of what I’m really turned on by and plenty past that which I find quite aesthetically appealing in its own right. “Thin Admirers” like what? A range of 30lbs, tops? The thing is, a “Thin Admirer” isn’t anything. They don’t need to self-identify. No one could pick up on their attraction by observing who they date, because they keep to social expectations.So I can get behind this notion, and I fully support this man who loves fat women (as long as there's no exploitation or force feeding to keep fat). In theory I support the Fat Acceptance movement in it's messages of body love/acceptance, anti-discrimination, and SOME views on health. It's the health part where I start to deviate from the FA movement. I firmly believe that someones body is not an indicator of health; an individual's actions (eating, exercising, stress, smoking, drinking, etc..) are the indicators of health. Just because someone is thin does not make them healthy and just because someone is fat does not make them unhealthy. Equating body type to health is a MAJOR problem in our society that is perpetuated further by media images of thin, thin, thin, women. However, there is still part of me that feels like the Fat Acceptance movement can motivate people away from healthy behaviors. Over-Eaters, which is classified as an eating disorder and a real mental health issue, now have a philosophy that supports them. People who simply enjoy calorie dense/low nutrient food don't have to worry anymore...it's the Doctors that are wrong. Why should I have to exercise? People who say I should exercise are just bigots. I'm happy being fat, so I must be healthy. And here's where the REALLY judgmental part of me kicks in...
I can totally buy that someone (not most people mind you) could be 250lbs maybe even 300lbs and still be completely healthy and that, as Marianne Kirby claims (in the following Nightline Faceoff), 20 years of dieting wreak havoc on a metabolism, and probably left her with a higher weight than she might otherwise have had. However, for people well over 300lbs I feel like the extra pressure on your joints, heart, and lungs amongst other things are difficult to ignore. There are definitely metabolism issues that people face, but even with these issues, if you are having healthy behaviors (exercising, healthy whole grain food eating, non-smoking, moderate drinking) I think it is a very rare that you cannot go down below 300lbs. This of course is not based on any scientific reports (I'm too lazy to research now), and I'd love to see some peer reviewed papers that can dispel my suspicions/judementalness (can that be a new disease?). If you're as curious about this issue as I am recommend watching the following video clips for an interesting debate about the issue...I think the number one thing I take away from it is that Crystal Renn is AMAZING. http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/
So...right after I wrote this I thought immediately of some things I want to clarify. First and foremost...I think that people own their own bodies, and if they want to abuse them that's their right. My point is that I don't have to support the behavior...I judge eating unhealthily to such excess as I would someone abusing alcohol or addicted to some narcotic. These are behaviors I find harmful to the individual and their family and I wish they wouldn't do such harm. I fully support the Fat Acceptance movement in healing the body image problems in our society. My problem with a woman gaining 400lbs is not because of how heavy she is or how she'll look, it's related to the dangerous health outcomes.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i'm with the abuse angle: you can abuse anything. Anybody overweight is abusing their body. A couple of pounds (differs from person to person) is no real problem. When you're talking about more than 30lbs though, its a problem. So is being thin -again, a couple of pounds too light, mmkay, maybe not too attractive, but not a real problem. More than that, yeah, there are major issues, health and quality of life issues. BMI is a good indicator for health, if you are above or below, you are at increased risk for all the autoimmune diseases (cancer, asthma, etc). The major concept here is good use of energy: the food you eat is your body's money system and its traded as energy for different things (muscle movement, etc.) if you have too much, it has nowhere to go and sits around getting in its own way (extra fat) if you have too little you can't "pay" to function properly. Things get out of wack. balance ie moderation is key -dieting and all that mess is not a function of good health either. 3 basics 1) a well functioning bowl system 2) muscle tone 3) good thoughts ie mental interest in what you do.
ReplyDeletejust thought i'd point out that my previous comment was about health. i learned moral judgment on fat people from my mother: fat=bad. I unlearned that throughout my life and became aware of the different and valid views available, fat means wealth, skinny means ugly, are the two primary ones i can think of right now. i still remember the jolt i got when i overheard a guy referencing bones and uncomfortable angles when having sex w/ a skinny girl.
ReplyDelete